Super Melane RPG
by Angel Weasel-Woman
Summary: "Melane approached the castle, Shroom back on the ground, trailing her like a white shadow. With a sigh, she walked across the bridge, watching her feet, wondering when she'd become pigeon toed."
1. Mario's Pad and Bowser's Castle

Super Melane RPG

Princess Peach hummed softly as she sat in her boyfriend's yard, picking the flowers she'd taken hours to convince him to plant. Mario could be so stubborn sometimes, but Peach got her way in the end. She always did.

As she picked a pink tulip, Peach could her the soft whirring of propellers. She looked up and saw what looked like two trash cans stuck together with one having some kind of mesh dome over it. Attached to the creation, were two propellers - one on the bottom and the second on the back of it. Peach looked at the pilot and gasped.

"Bowser," she murmured. That mad Koopa had always captured her, for some unknown reason. Every time, he kept talking about avenging someone, but he never mentioned who. And every time, Mario would come to Peach's rescue before Bowser could really do anything to her. Now, Peach stood and prepared to run inside the house, but Bowser swooped down and picked her up. He quickly stuffed her in the second pod and shut the lid on her, locking it and preventing escape.

"Help!" Peach screamed as they flew off to a castle in the distance. "Mario! Help me!"

Said plumber had been cozily nuzzled in an over-stuffed chair, a thick book he'd never gotten around to reading, open in his hands. At the sounds of Peach's cries, Mario leapt from his chair and ran outside. He caught a glimpse of the spike-shelled Koopa and pink clad human high in the air, flying off.

"Hey-a! Wait!" Mario cried, running after them.

After a good chase, the brown haired plumber spotted Bowser disappearing through a secret passage in the roof of his castle, taking the princess of Mushroom Kingdom with him. Mario ran to the bridge, panting. Regaining his breath, Mario walked up to the doors and placed one hand on them and gave a push. The gate swung open at his gentle touch, much to the human's puzzlement.

Shaking his head, Mario entered. With a loud slam, the doors shut once again, and no amount of pushing or pulling would open them again. Biting his lip, he gave the castle a look about. Large, stone statues of Koopa Troopa warriors were placed on either side of a long, red carpet, placed about every four feet. Patrolling through the gaps of the statues, were Terrapins, creatures with a close resemblance to green shelled Koopas.

Mario ducked behind one of the tall statues as a Terripin whirled around and and walked to the right, continuing his patrol. How was he ever going to get across to the large, spiked, red doors at the hall's end? He sighed. It looked as though he would either have to fight or run across.

Mario watched as the Terrapin faced the wall. Before it could turn around, the plumber rushed by and ran smack into another guard. Before the guard could figure out what had happened, Mario jumped up and continued to run down the hall. Right when he placed his hands on the door, the guards he'd evaded and two more attacked him.

One terrapin ran up to Mario and punched him in the face. A second hit him with his attack baton. The third aimed a punch, but missed. The final Terrapin guard knocked Mario's feet out from under him, sending the human to the floor. Before the four could attack again, though, Mario leapt to his feet and gave an upper cut to the nearest Terrapin. Next, he whirled about and hit another in the eye. The plumber then picked up the third Terrapin and threw it into the other. Mario balled up his hands into fists and waited for a second barrage of attacks. The Terrapins looked at one another before running off, fleeing from the castle. Mario grinned to himself and relaxed just a bit - if he kept this up, he'd be in and out in around an hour.

Mario placed his hands on the large doors and gave a slight push. the gateway swung open and the brown haired human was hit, head on, with a sudden gust of boiling hot air and the sound of bubbling liquid. Panting from the heat, he stepped inside and heard the crash as the doors slammed shut. Hopefully, he could get out once he got the princess.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Mario walked forward and gave the wooden bridge a glance over. It looked sturdy enough. As a test, he placed one foot and the bridge and put some pressure on it. Soon, Mario was standing fully on the wooden crossover without it falling into the bubbling lava below him. Quickly, he ran across the bridge to a large, marble island in the middle of the lava lake that looked very sturdy. Resting there for a moment, Mario looked at the second bridge. The wood was sturdy, but the rope holding it up seemed worn down a lot - like it would snap in the next few uses.

"Well-a," Mario muttered, "I didn't expect-a this to be-a easy."

Gathering himself up, Mario ran full out across the bridge. Just as he was safely on the other side of the room, a loud snap and a rumble told Mario that the bridge had given way. He gulped and entered through the next door.

The first sensation Mario felt was a cool breeze from some non-existent wind. He rushed inside, glad to be away from the heat, hearing the door slam shut behind him. On the floor, large, sharp spikes lined along a marble path, leading up to a golden throne that was on risen ground. Mario walked along the path, looking about for Princess Toadstool or Bowser. Going closer to the throne, he paused and looked around.

"Mari-umph!"

"Wha...?" Mario glanced from side to side quickly. After a second's pause, he looked up.

Princess Peach was hanging from the high vaulted ceiling, the rope tying around her waist. Covering her mouth was a hurriedly tied on bandana which looked as though it would easily come off. Standing on a chandelier next to the princess was the King of Koopas, Bowser. He brushed his crimson frock of hair out of is scarlet eyes and glared at the plumber below him, unconsciously moving a bit to have the chandelier's light reflect off of his golden shell-spikes and horns.

"Just what're _you_ doin' here?" Bowser sneered.

"I-a believe that you-a have something that you-a shouldn't," Mario replied.

"And just what is the _all_ _high and mighty Mario _gonna do 'bout it?"

Mario looked over a bit and saw a second chandelier just beside the one Bowser was standing on.

"I'm-a gonna stop you-a!"

Mario leapt onto Bowser's perch and gave him a swift punch before jumping to the second. Bowser gave an involuntary cry of pain and clutched at his jaw.

Narrowing his eyes, Bowser cried, "So, you do wanna play! So let's start! Up!"

At his command both chandlers, and the tied up princess flew towards the ceiling. Just as it looked like they would hit the roof, the ceiling stretched, going up and up endlessly. Mario, having fought the huge Koopa many times before, knew not to marvel at his intense magic for that would only leave him vulnerable to attack. As Mario contemplated how Bowser would attack, a sharp, thin needle flew at him, piercing his arm. He gave a small cry, more from surprise that actual pain, and looked at his wound. He pulled out the needle and saw only a drop of blood fall before it clotted. The plumber looked up and leapt at his enemy giving him an uppercut and a punch in the gut before returning.

Bowser grunted from the punches and glared at his opponent. That man could attack him all he wanted, but he'd never get the princess. She was to pay for what her family did to him and those he cared about. He reared back one clawed hand and slashed at the air muttering a spell. The wind caused by the swipe flew towards Mario, hardening and sharpening. The plumber, not expecting the air to attack, but waiting for blow to come from his enemy, ducked to the side, but he wasn't quick enough. Four vertical cuts, slashed into Mario's side.

Mario hissed and winced in pain, looking up to the Koopa. He straightened up and clutched at his wounds. That mutant turtle would pay.

"Mario!" Peach cried, having worked her mouth free of the poorly tied gag. "The chain! Aim for the chain!"

For a split second, Mario's eyes flickered from Bowser to the Kinklink holding the chandelier up. That would work! Once again he leapt to to Bowser's perch, but instead of aiming for the Koopa, he slammed his bloodied fists onto the Kinklink's head. Jumping back, he saw Bowser laughing at him.

"You idiot! You actually -- What was that?!" Bowser jumped a bit at a loud groan. He tuned and faced the Kinklink. No! Hang on Kinklink! C'mon!"

But, for all Bowser's efforts to encourage the sentient ball and chain to continue holding on, were in vain. With the sound of a large wind, the Kinklink let go, sending Bowser falling to the ground below.

"Right-A!" Mario cried, clutching at his side once again. "That should keep-a him busy for a while. Come on-a Peach, we-a gotta go."

"Hey, Mario!" Bowser's voice was very faint, but very loud at the same time. "Aren't ya comin'?!" Mario looked down and saw a hammer fly up from the bottomless ground, smacking into the Kinklink that held up _his_ chandelier. The Kinklink grunted loudly and the light fixture bounced a bit.

"Noo!" Peach cried, struggling against her bonds to get at her love. "Mario!"

"Peach-a!" Mario reached out to the pink clad woman.

"And once more!" Bowser threw another mallet which hit the Kinklink a second time, causing to groan and let go of its burden. The chandelier fell quickly, much quicker than Bowser's, somehow, and soon the plumber was face to face with the Koopa, who laughed.

"Did you think I would just _give_ her to you? No way, you're _always_ in my way! You will die now!" With those final words, Bowser leapt at Mario, claws brandished. Prepared for the attack, Mario jumped up and landed on Bowser's shell. As soon as he hit, Mario used whatever little momentum he had left and shot up towards he ceiling. Going farther up than he expected, Mario grabbed a hold of the Kinklink beside him and climbed up a bit, his side wound paining him more than he let on.

"Mario!" Princess Toadstool cried. "Oh, I was so worried! Let's get out of here!" Mario reached out to grab the rope that suspended his love high in the air, but a violent shaking caused him to grab at the Kinklink's chain to keep from falling endlessly. Peach shrieked loudly, struggling harder, and swaying with the earthquake that shook the castle all around them.

"Help me! I'm going to fall!"

"Peach-a!"

Peach's rope that held her in the air snapped and she fell the long way to the floor. Mario tried to hang on and grab at Peach's rope as she passed by, screaming, but fell as well.

Outside the large castle, dark clouds gathered about. With a ray of darkened light, a humongous sword fell from the sky, spinning slightly. Twirling around it, seven different colored stars glowed with the colors of the rainbow. The ground shook under Bowser's Keep as the sword transcended down, lodging itself into the main part of the castle. On its handle, a pair of eyes blinked open. Yes, this was the perfect planet for him to rule. So many people to torture, so much land to destroy. He would stay here forever.

When the sword had met with the cool ground, the seven trailing stars shook horribly. When it looked as though they would shatter, they shot off in different directions, each leaving a streak of its color, like a broken rainbow.

Mario felt the wind rush by him as he sailed through the air. With another violent shake, Mario had felt himself be given, almost, a push. But there had been no one near him. He wondered faintly who had done it, and briefly thought of Bowser. That magical Koopa had done everything in his power to destroy the plumber, so it was highly doubtful that he had saved him.

Before any other thoughts could enter Mario's mind, he slammed hard into a tough wooden surface. With a crash, he broke though his own roof, jagged two by fours scratching his already wounded body. He hit the floor with a loud thunk, crying out as he heard a loud snap come from his left leg.

"Hey, Mario! Are you alright?!" Opening the hero's door, a small mushroom person ran inside. "What happened?"

Mario gasped and clutched at his leg. "It's-a broken. I-a need you to call-a someone for-a me."

"Save tonight and fight the break of dawn." In a large room with walls obviously painted from pink to white, a girl sat on her bed singing along to her CD player, her soft southern accent adding a bit more depth to the song than usual. "Come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone." Her door creaked open and a large, white mushroom-like creature stepped inside the room.

"There's a log, on tha fi-ya, and it burns, like me fo' you."

The Goomba waddled over to the signing girl and bit her leg, not hard enough to break the skin, but to get her attention. She stopped singing at once and looked down.

"Shroom!" She cooed, leaning down and scooping up the creature. "How are you?" She nuzzled her cheek against it for a moment before pulling away. "I bet you're hungy, ain't ya, Shroom?"

The Goomba dubbed Shroom growled happily and bounced gently in the girl's arms. She giggled softly and muttered to more to herself than to Shroom, "If I keep feedin' you like this you're gonna so big I won't be able to carry ya no more."

Placing the large, child-Goomba down, she exited her room and entered the kitchen area, Shroom following her like a small shadow. The girl had Shroom ever since he was a little baby, barely alive seeing as how his mother had been killed by some other people. She'd always known that Goombas weren't as all people thought, evil and unhesitant in attacking, but more docile and kind, only attacking to defend themselves and their families. Bringing Shroom back with her from one of her adventures only proved how much she cared for the creatures.

She stepped over to the refrigerator and opened it, reaching automatically for the bucket of dead worms and slugs kept wet and cold just for Shroom and fishing trips. Placing her hand on the lid she paused in thought. If she did keep feeding Shroom all these fatty creepy-crawlers, he would get way too heavy. Smiling softly she thought, Looks like someone's going on a diet. She then took out a head of lettuce and, after a small consideration, one of cabbage.

She tore a few leaves off of each and placed the lettuce down in Shroom's bowl. Replacing the vegetables, she took a bite of her cabbage and watched, shaking with silent laughter, as Shroom hurried up to his bowl, sniffed inside and snorted, making a face. She swallowed and giggled.

"Now, now, Shroom, you gotta eat something good for you for a change. Too many worms and you won't be able to keep up with me anymore."

Shroom made another face at his food, but began to eat a lettuce leaf, wincing as though in pain. The girl laughed at her pet and walked out into the living room. Munching on another leaf of cabbage, she rubbed her ear. Something was ringing. Pausing, it took a while for her to notice that it was her cell phone that was ringing, not just her ear.

She swallowed her cabbage and pushed a large stack of doodles off one of the tables where the ringing was the loudest. she grabbed her cell and opened up, pressed the talk button and spoke.

"Melane here, wha' d'ya want?"

Shroom scooted into the room, chewing on his snack, wondering who his owner was talking to. He leaned in a bit and focused his ears, but he could only hear a garbled voice.

"Really?" Melane questioned. "What happened?"

More garbled words.

"Ok, I'll be there soon. And one last thing - Tell him I said, 'I told ya so'."

Melane pulled the phone away from her ear and presses the 'off' button. She turned around and faced Shroom. "Well, what're ya waitin' fer? Let's get going!"

Toad hung up Mario's phone and turned to the plumber who was gingerly applying pressure to certain spots, wincing with each touch.

"What are you doing?" Toad asked.

Mario's only answer was a loud snap (Toad winced at the gruesome sound) as he pushed the two pieces of bone back together. He gave a small cry of pain, and reached over for one of his previously torn shirts. She'd always told him to keep little bits and pieces of stuff he'd normally throw away, saying it would come in handy. Luckily enough, he'd kept his shirts that had been destroyed in fights. Mario ripped the shirt into strips and tightly wrapped his leg. Toad made a face at the home doctoring, but decided to not comment on it.

"Uhh, hey, Mario?" Said plumber looked up. "I came here to get the princess. Is she, uh, here?"

"Well... not really."

"What? Whadaya mean 'not really'? She's supposed to be here!" Toad peered into Mario's face. "Bowser got her again, didn't he?" Mario paused, then nodded. Toad moaned. "Oh great. Now what are we gonna do? You have broken leg and Bowser has Peach - who's gonna go rescue her?"

"Don't-a worry," Mario claimed, waving it off. "Someone's coming-a and she can-a help."

Toad looked at Mario once more. "Just who is coming?"

"I am," a soft, southern accented voice clamed. Toad turned and opened the door. Standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to Mario's Pad was a girl who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. She had long, ebony hair pulled back into a high ponytail with a few stray strands framing her face and bright emerald eyes that shined like the gems themselves. She wore a pair of faded denim overalls and a sky blue shirt. On her head was a royal blue cap with the letter 'M' stitched in the middle of a white circle on the front. She wore a pair of true blue, fingerless gloves and worn-down, light blue sneakers.

Just behind the blue clad girl was a white Goomba, twice as big as any Toad had ever seen before. Taking a closer look, the mushroom-man noticed the Goomba had crimson eyes - an albino Goomba, he realized.

The girl noticed Toad's staring and looked back at the creature behind her. "Shroom, ya might wanna stay back fer a while. Mm'kay?"

Shroom looked up and nodded, looking a bit depressed. The girl walked up the stares and, pushing Toad out of the way, said, "Ma'o! Wha'd I tell ya? I knew yeh'd get somethin' broken sooner er later." She walked inside and kneeled down by Mario. " Y'ok? Looks like ya patched yerself up good enough, but cha won't be able ta walk fer a while without crutches."

"I know-a, Mel. That's why-a I need you-a to go do something-a for me..."

Melane looked at Mario for a few moments, pondering what he wanted. After a while she spoke. "I'm not gonna get paid fer this, am I?"

Mario shook his head.

"And I have no other option, right?"

Mario just smiled.

"Dang," she hissed. Melane sighed and peered into Mario's face. He was serious. The blue clad teen stood and looked at the small mushroom-man standing in the doorway. "Ok, you, what was Ma'o doin' and how do I do it?" She asked, going past Toad. On her way outside, she grabbed one of Mario's bid, red backpacks.

"Uh, well, you have to go and get the princess from Bowser."

"Really? That doesn't sound all that tough - where is he?" She asked, putting the pack on her back.

"Well," Toad pointed in the general direction of Bowser's Keep. "Down that way, but - "

"Don't worry," Melane interrupted, "I'll be fine. C'mon, Shroom! Let's go!" With those final words, Melane took off running, the albino Goomba waddling behind her.

Toad sighed and turned around, seeing Mario pull himself onto his bed. "Are you sure she can do this?"

"Don't-a worry," Mario replied. "She's-a tough."

Melane stood atop Vista Hill, panting from her run. She hadn't had so much exercise in a long time. She took a deep breath, and looked down at Shroom beside her. He'd finally made it to the top and flopped down, gasping for breath.

"Wha'd I tell ya," Melane said to her pet. "I knew you wouldn't be able to keep up with me as good as before."

Shroom just looked up at her, a soft pleading look in his eyes. Melane laughed and picked him up. Now to the big stuff, she thought, looking at the castle before her. She took a deep breath and hurried off.

Melane approached the castle, Shroom back on the ground, trailing her like a white shadow. With a sigh, she walked across the bridge, watching her feet, wondering when she'd become pigeon toed.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A booming voice called. Melane jerked to a stop and looked up, gasping. There, resting in the main of the castle, was a humongous sword! Its handle was a creamy yellow, and it had a face. A pair of huge, black eyes peered down at the scared girl, and its mouth curled into a frown.

"A trespasser, eh? Well, this castle here now belongs to us, the 'Smithy Gang'. This is out first step in taking over this miserable planet," the sword claimed.

"Oh, yeah?" Melane called, feeling a bravado well inside her. "Well, I'm just gonna have ta stop you!"

The sword growled at Melane. "You stupid creatures! You have no idea of my power do you? Of course not, your tiny brain could not even imagine my power!"

"Oh," Melane challenged, placing her hands on her hips. "And just what is your _'power'_? Farting and creating rock slides on the other end of the world?"

"You," the sword hissed. "Let's see you deal with _this_!"

Melane smirked, but instantly fell for the stone bridge was shaking violently. She cast a glance at Shroom, who was dancing about nervously, wanting to run, but not wanting to leave his master. The girl picked herself up and ran, whistling and allowing Shroom to follow. Just as Melane threw herself onto the opposite ground, the stone bridge collapsed, preventing any access to the castle.

Melane stood and placed one of her hands on her hips and used the other to massage the shoulder that had rammed into hard ground before. "This sucks," she said simply. With that, she started back to Mario's Pad.

Toad paced a bit nervously, glancing up once in a while, not really expecting to see anything, but just looking, so it was a bit of a surprise to see Melane walking back up the path to Mario's house. He jumped down the stairs and hurried to the girl.

"You're back early! Did you forget something?" Melane shook her head. "What happened than?"

"Well," she started, looking down at the Goomba beside her. "A sword destroyed the bridge to the castle."

"A sword destroyed the bridge?" Toad repeated skeptically. "How is this possible?"

"The same way Ma'o can still be alive after fighting this Bowser guy for a couple o' years - it just _is_!"

"Just wonderful," Toad moaned. "We have to inform the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom at once!"

" 'Chancellor'?" Melane muttered.

"Come on! Let's go!" With that, Toad tuned and ran down a different path going to the left of Mario's house.

Melane raised an eyebrow and looked down at Shroom, who just gave the impression of a shrug. The girl rolled her eyes and started down the same path, but was instantly knocked down by Toad, who came running back.

"Oh! Uh, sorry, um, Melane. You ok?" He asked.

"Oh, never better," Melane said sarcastically. "Just peachy." She stood and rubbed her behind a bit, making sure noting was bruised.

Toad grinned a bit nervously and said, "Well, if you're hurt, one of Mushroom Kingdom's famous items should perk you back up!" With that, he held out -

"A mushroom?" Melane asked, skeptically, taking it from Toad.

"Yeah, it will heal you if you're hurt. You should keep it." He saw Melane roll her eyes, but but the mushroom into her new backpack anyway. Toad paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Now, why did I rush back here? I had something to tell you..."

Melane have a frustrated growl and clenched her hands. Toad glanced at the girl, then at Shroom.

"Oh yeah! I came to warn you that Mushroom Way is just _filled_ with monsters! I just barely made it back in one piece! Melane, please do something!" Melane sighed and relaxed.

"Sure! Why not? I'm just gonna wind up doing it anyway!" She claimed, throwing her hands in the air. Toad paused again.

"Now, what was I going to do... It was something... Oh right! We still need to tell the Chancellor about the princess! Here - take these!" Toad gave Melane three more mushrooms before running back down the path to Mushroom Way.

Melane looked down at Shroom. That little guy was odd, wasn't he? she felt like asking Shroom. But the large Goomba would give her no answer aside from a glance. She looked down the pathway. It was time to take Mario's place in saving the princess. It was her time to make a name for herself.

"Let's go, Shroom," she said, walking down the path to her destiny.

WEEEE!! Tis done! I-sa happy!

BB: And I'm not.

YY: Who cares about you? I sure don't. Well, this took me about a week to finish - not bad by my standards. Now, before I leave, I have to say the disclaimer. I own nothing mentioned in this fic aside from Melane, Shroom, and... whatever else you haven't heard of. The rest belongs to Nintendo. There, all's said and done.

BB: I'm gonna go now.

YY: *waves* Bye-bye! And fer tha people reading this - Later!


	2. Mushroom Way

Melane growled and glared at the Goomba who was rushing forward, trying to bite her ankle. When it got close enough, she drew back her foot and slammed it into the creature's face. Beside her, Shroom gave a sympathetic wince. The blue-clad girl gave a small sigh and looked at the albino.

"Sorry, Shroom." She bent down and picked him up. "But somethin's wrong with these guys an they ain't leavin me alone."

Shroom gave a soft, content growl and snuggled into Melane's arms. The southern girl giggled and hugged her pet. Suddenly, she grit her teeth and froze in place, pain shooting up her leg. She looked down with a jerk of her head and saw that the Goomba she'd kicked had come back with a vengeance.

Slowly and painfully, she lifted her right leg, bringing the Goomba that was attached to it, with it. Face contorted in pain, she narrowed her eyes at the creature and growled. Unaware of the pain filled consequences it was about to receive, the Goomba began to gnaw on Melane's ankle, ripping through the denim and skin and drawing blood. Her growl deepening, Melane swung her leg in the direction of the nearest tree, stopping inches from the plants trunk. The Goomba, however, was not so lucky for it's body slammed into the plant. It let go of the human's foot with a cry and fell to the ground. Wearily, the creature got to its feet and looked at the girl above it and the albino Goomba beside her. Then, without warning, it bolted deeper into the forest.

The young, black-haired girl grinned and hugged Shroom a bit tighter. The albino Goomba smiled, but looked down at his owner's leg. Blinking, the girl looked down at saw that her ankle was still bleeding.

"Oh, don't worry, Shroom," Melane said, waving off the topic of her injury. "I'll get it fixed up in the Mushroom Kingdom. But for now," she placed Shroom back on the ground, "we gotta get goin." And with that, the blue-wearing girl limped deeper into Mushroom Way.

Shroom sighed and was about to follow, when something shiny caught his eye. He looked towards the source and found a small pile of golden coins, half-buried in the dirt below the tree that the wild Goomba had been slammed into, shimmering softly in the dim light that reached them. The creature waddled over to the money and picked it up and rushed over to Melane, accidentally bumping into her injured ankle. With a hiss of pain, the girl glared at the ground, ready for any other surprise attack that might happen, but relaxed when she noted that it was only her beloved pet.

"What's that in yer mouth?" Melane asked, kneeling down on her good leg and placing a hand near Shroom's mouth, her signal for "drop it". Obediently, the Goomba spit the coins into his master's hand.

The girl made a face at the feel of the slimy, cold coins in her hand and stood muttering, "Bleg, Goomba spit." Then, she stood tall and looked down at Shroom with a disgusted smile. "You like doin that, don't 'cha?"

Shroom merely grinned.

With a sigh, Melane poked and prodded the saliva coated money, estimating the amount to be around two dollars. With a shrug, she placed it in a pocket of her pack and continued to limp along the path, Shroom waddling close by.

As Melane walked down one more path, the leafy trees and overgrown flowers and bushes gently nipped at her heels. With a soft smile, she closed her emerald eyes and tilted her head back letting the warm sun wash away her problems.

"Hey! Someone!" the small voice of Toad called. With a sigh Melane thought, _Too good to be true_. Before the blue-clad girl could go anywhere though, something fell from the sky and slammed onto her head. Dazed for a moment, Melane stumbled and fell on her butt. Giving her head a shake, she looked up and saw a Sky Troopa flutter its wings and glare at her.

Letting her anger get the best of her, Melane jumped up and tried to attack the red-shelled turtle above her. But, alas, she was not Mario and thus, she couldn't jump all that well. Falling back to the ground with a thud, she glared upwards and shook as she saw the Sky Troopa laugh at her.

"Stupid Troopa," she muttered. At the soft sound of snorting, she turned and glared at Shroom who tried to quickly stifle a smile. Tilting her head to the sky, she screamed. "Why is everything laughing at me today?!" With no answer, Melane stood to her full five-foot-seven-inch height, ignoring her ankle which had reopened upon her ungraceful landing. She looked at the Sky Troopa and growled. "You wanna piece a' me?!"

With a careless shrug, the Sky Troopa stopped fluttering its wings and dropped like a stone to Melane's head. Taking a half step back and turning to the side, the emerald-eyed girl whirled her foot up and forward and crashed it into the Troopa's head. Dazed for a moment the winged Koopa shook its head and pumped its wings, taking to the air once more. Looking down upon the girl it had thought was a pushover, the Troopa planned its next attack.

Still glaring at the Troopa, Melane moved one hand to the top of her head and under her cap to check for any damage. As her hand probed the top of her skull, she winced a bit. Not in pain- but in lack of. Then again, she thought, I always did have a hard head. I just didn't expect it to be _that_ hard!

Seeing the girl was distracted, the Troopa dropped a few feet and flew at Melane's chest. Nearing its goal, the Sky Troopa was suddenly knocked aside by the girl's forearm. Flying backwards into a tree, the Koopa finally realized that this girl was no one to underestimate. Flying off, a few golden coins fell to the ground.

With a growl, Melane walked over, gathered the coins and was about to answer the annoying cry of Toad, when Shroom stopped her once more with his soft growls and whines. Glancing towards the albino, Melane saw a wooden chest, partially hidden in the shrubbery. Kneeling down before it, she opened the chest and took the coins, gathering ten of them before they were all gone. Still on her hands and knees, she scrambled over to the pile of coins the Sky Troopa had left and took those as well.

"Help!" Toad came again.

With a soft growl, Melane stood once more and dusted herself off. Quickly rounding a corner, she stopped and glared at the Goomba that was harassing Toad. It was the same one that had bit her ankle before. The small monster, feeling eyes upon it, turned to the fuming girl. Recognizing the blue-clad teen, the Goomba gave a whistle and two more stepped out of the brush. Growling, the three advanced on the girl.

Heedless of the danger, Melane and Shroom bounded forward, meaning to seriously hurt the Goombas. Snarling, Shroom leapt at one of the brown monsters and bit deep into its side. With a yelp, the Goomba kicked at Shroom. Feeling its foot connect with his side, Shroom gave an ear-splitting yelp and ran towards Toad, cowering behind him. Having taken care of one member of Melane's party, all three creatures began to attack her mercilessly. After a few minutes of fighting, Melane walked towards Toad, covered in various scratches and bites and in a terrible mood, but victorious and a few gold pieces richer.

"Thank you so much," Toad praised Melane. "For a moment, my life was flashing before my eyes." He noticed her eye twitch. "In my gratitude, take this jar of Honey Syrup." He handed Melane an clay jar with elaborate bees on it and a cork stopping its top before bolting away. Blinking, she glanced in the direction Toad had gone, then back at the jar. Uncorking the top, she peered inside and saw a think, goopy substance that held the sent of roses, sunflowers and honey. Enjoying the smell for a few moments more, she replaced the stopper and carefully into her backpack.

"Well." She turned to Shroom who glanced up at her. "Shall we go." She motioned down the path Toad had taken. With a tilt of his head, Shroom glanced up at his owner and gave his sides a twitch, indicating that he didn't care either way. With a happy smile, she hitched up one of the backpacks straps and twirled to the path, ignoring her wounds which burned with her every move. "Then let's go!"

Melane gave a loud, frustrated scream as she dodged to the side to avoid a large Spikey that was rolling at her. With a yell she whirled about to face the, still curled up creature, dug her foot under it and chucked it into the air. As the creature fell back to the ground, Melane lashed out with one foot and slammed it into the spiked ball, sending it flying into a bush a few feet away.

"I can't take this anymore!" she shrieked. By her feet, Shroom tip-toed away into the bushes and retrieved the shiny coins that the red shelled creature left behind. Barely even remembering to pick up the coins Shroom had in his mouth, she huffed off. After a bit, though, she began to calm down and once more enjoy the scenery. Going down another path, she began to notice tall flowers that closely resembled sunflowers only with cerulean-blue petals and some with carnation-pink ones that spun curiously in place without disrupting the ground it was in. And there were also three tall hills with steep sides and, from what she could tell, flat tops.

Pausing for a moment, she took the time to go over to a flower and carefully look it over. It was about then that she noticed her pet was gone. With an inquisitive coo, she placed her hands behind her head and glanced around. Walking around a tall bush, she heard a dizzy growling. Jerking her head up, she followed the sound.

Shroom had somehow managed to climb up on one of the tall, spinning, flowers with pink petals and couldn't get off. With a small giggle, Melane opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Hey! Help me!"

Closing her mouth with a snap, the dark haired girl glared at the hills around her. Listening for the voice again, she pin-pointed Toad's voice to be on the tallest hill. Growling softly, she headed over and inspected the side of the mound. It was way too steep to walk up and she could see no way that she could dig hand holds so that she could climb up. I'm gonna have to jump, she thought. Tilting her head way back, she snorted at the idea. How was she ever going to get up _there_? Suddenly, Shroom gave a loud cry and Melane whirled around just in time to see her pet leap around four feet into the air from the flower he'd been spinning on and land on the ground a few feet away with a thud.

"That'll work," she muttered surprised before rushing over to check if Shroom was okay. Coddling the Goomba, she moved back to the carnation flower. Glancing it over and pressing one hand on the center to make sure it would support her weight, she shrugged and scrambled up onto the flower and at once, she was standing straight and ready to jump. Twirling around, she waited for the flower to face in the right direction before clutching Shroom tighter and jumping. To her amazement, she leapt off with astounding grace. Sailing through the air, she landed on her feet without even a stumble. Looking about the hill top, she saw that Toad was, again, getting assaulted, but this time by a Sky Troopa.

"Hey!" She called placing down Shroom and pointing at the Sky Troopa. Turning away from Toad, the Troopa turned and glared at Melane. For a few moments, no one did anything. Then, the Sky Troopa flapped its wings and flew at Melane, slamming into her stomach and nearly sending her off the hill top. With a snort, she staggered to her feet and charged the Sky Troopa, a kicking whirlwind. The Troopa, however strong it had been, wasn't prepared for this fury and soon fell to the girl's attacks. Calming, Melane spat on the ground at she watched the Troopa fly off, terribly wounded.

"Thank you so very much for helping me again," Toad claimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing gem in the shape of a small rose petal. "This is a Flower Tab. It will help you in fights." He handed it to Melane and took of again. Blinking once more, she shrugged and placed it in her pack along with the Mushrooms, coins and Honey Syrup. Glancing around the hilltop, she noticed Shroom waddling over to a tall bush. With a confused coo, she walked over and pushed away a few branches, revealing yet another chest. Smiling, she opened it up and took out the five coins inside.

"Well," Melane said. "We'd better get going before mushroom-boy gets in trouble again." Shroom growled in agreement and grinned at her. Without thinking about it, she grinned back. This little adventure was really starting to make itself enjoyable to Melane. If only I wasn't being constantly attacked, she thought wistfully.

As she approached the next path, she peered out into the clearing. Washing her eyes over the new area, she suddenly bolted around a large rock that blocked her view of the square clearing. Nearly half-way around, she heard Toad's voice cry out yet again. Unprepared for his shouts, Melane tripped over her own foot and nearly fell on a Spikey. It gave a startled yelp and whirled to face her. With out a second thought, Melane rolled on her back and kicked her legs into the air, jumping up and landing on her feet. Whirling around she kicked the surprised Koopa in the face and sent it flying backwards. It slammed into a tree and collapsed forward. Standing and shaking its head, the dazed Spikey looked at the teen and fled, leaving behind a single coin.

Picking up the gold, she continued her trek around the rock and saw two large creatures bullying Toad. Both of them were wearing a black and white helmet, had a black and white shell, were carrying hammers, and wore black tennis shoes with golden spikes coming out at the souls. With a bit of a confused blink, Melane growled. Stupid bullies, she thought. Makin my quest longer...

"Hey, y'all!" She cried pointing at the Koopas. "Why don't ya pick on someone yer own size?!"

One of the Koopas turned and glared at Melane. "Were you just talkin to us, pipsqueak?"

"So what if I was?"

"Well," the other claimed, turning to face her and pounding his hammer into his hand. "Us Hammer Brothers don't like your attitude."

"Then why don't ya come over here and prove it."

The Hammer Bros. growled and with a cry charged at Melane. Without a plan, the cyan-clad teen threw herself forward and onto the ground to escape the flying hammers, knocking the wind from her lungs. Realizing that they missed their target, the brothers turned to look at Melane who was lying on her stomach, trying to regain her breath. Hearing a footstep from behind her, the girl rolled to one side, barely escaping the spiked heel slamming down on where her head had just been. Kicking her feet out and jumping up, she cart wheeled to her right as the second Koopa smacked at her with his hammer. Now trapped up against a tree, Melane looked upon her certain demise. Giving a soft whimper, she suddenly heard Toad's voice.

"This is a Flower Tab. It will help you in fights."

Groping behind her with one hand, she gulped as she watched the brothers advance on her, making her suffer by making her wait. Finally, she felt her fingers close around the cold gem. Suddenly, from her back was an explosion of light. When she glanced down at her legs, she saw that they were pulsing with a bright, white light. Without a thought, Melane ran at the surprised brothers. A few feet from them, she leapt into the air. Turning her body parallel to the ground, she began to twirl as she continued to fly at one of the Hammer Bros, slamming her feet into his chest with such force that he flew back into a tree. Landing gracefully on her feet, Melane dizzily took her head in her hands and gave it a shake.

When her vision stopped spinning, she glanced up just in time to see the Koopa she'd plowed into fall forward and lay very still. For a second no one spoke, all worried about the outcome. Then, Melane placed a hand over her mouth and gasped as she watched, the fallen brother began to phase out of sight until he disappeared. The remaining Koopa stared at the spot where his sibling had vanished and mumbled something under his breath. Slowly turning his head, his eyes darkening with rage as he glared at the black haired girl.

"You killed him," he muttered, catching her attention.

She turned to face him with an expression of shock etched all over her face. "I didn't mean to!" She shouted, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to plead her innocence. "Besides, you attacked me first!"

He snorted. "We didn't touch you, you called to us. You humans are all alike. One of us creatures do something bad and soon you're trying to kill us all off!" He lifted his hammer and charged at Melane. "_You're just like all of them_!" He took another step and swung his mallet at the girl.

Barely prepared for this retaliation, she did a half-back flip so that she was doing a hand stand. On her hands, she swung her legs around and slammed them into her assailants face, driving him back. Through blurred eyes she watched at the heartbroken Koopa clutched at his face and stumbled, finally falling to the ground. When his hand fell lifelessly from his face and he started to phase out, she gasped as she saw that she'd broken his nose and practically shattered the front of his skull. She'd barely even kicked him! Casting a glance at her feet, she saw through her tears that her legs were just now starting to dim. That's why her kick had done so much damage.

Letting the tears fall, she turned to the silent Toad. "Is this what Ma'o has been doing since I left? Killing these creatures?!"

"You had to," Toad claimed, trying to comfort the girl.

"I don't care!" She gave a strangled sob. "I killed those Koopas, and you say I had to?!"

"They would have killed you!"

"Like I said before - I don't care! They were living beings!" And without another word, she let herself fall flat on the ground and began to sob. Shroom, not used to seeing his master cry, scuttled up to her and nuzzled the palm of one hand. Not even bothering to look up, she lovingly pet the creature.

With a sigh, Toad looked at the tormented girl. "Listen, if you help us, you won't have to kill any more, alright?" For a moment he thought that she hadn't heard his words, but she gave a small nod as she looked up, her bright eyes red. Standing and mentioning for Shroom to follow, she stumbled out of Mushroom Way through the final path. As the albino Goomba passed by Toad, the monster growled and bit him on the arm. With a painful whimper, Toad clutched at his arm and thought, I guess I got what I deserved.

As Melane stepped out of Mushroom Way, she shielded her eyes from the bright glare of the setting sun's light. Had she really spent that much time in that forest maze? Blinking and letting her eyes adjust to the light, she looked around and saw tall buildings and a huge stone castle washed in golden-orange beyond a long grassy field. With a depressed sigh, she started the trek across the large plane that separated her from the Mushroom Kingdom. For a few moments in silence, she was left to her thoughts about why she ever agreed to this horrible task. Thinking about the two brothers she'd been forced to kill, she lowered her head and gave a strangled sob. With tears falling down her face, she forced her mind away to something else. Gently humming, she began to sing a gentle lullaby she'd heard when she was just a little baby.

"Hush a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep little baby. When you wake, you shall take, all the pretty little horses. Blacks and bays, dapples and grays. Coach and six little horses."

Hearing her own voice through her muddled thoughts calmed her mind and let her think about much more pleasant things. For instance, where she'd heard the song before. She knew it hadn't been her mother, who couldn't at all and joked about it until she passed away, or her father whom she'd never known. Closing her eyes, she tried to conjure up an image of the singer, but was rewarded only with a flash of soft lavender and pale white.

When the sun had finally vanished from sight and the first few stars played in the vast night sky, Melane dragged her tired feet to the Inn. With a groan, she looked to the entrance. So close and yet so far, she thought. Shuddering to keep her exhausted body awake, the girl stumbled inside and her eyes met with the inn keeper's.

"How much fer a night?" she croaked.

The inn keeper gasped and moved towards the girl who was cut and scratched with puffy red eyes and angry tear lines streaking down her face. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"How much?" the girl gasped again.

"For you, it's free," the keeper claimed, "now let's get you to a room."

The girl smiled gratefully and suddenly collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Angel: Yay! ^^ Second part up.

BB: Not that anyone's caring...

Angel: *whaps him* Quiet you! *turns to readers* Prove my muse wrong and review please!

BB: *sticks out tongue* Before Angel forgets, she doesn't own anything mentioned in this story aside from Melane, Shroom and... that's about it.

Angel: Yup. Laterz! ^^


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